WI: The Sino-Soviet split escalates?

[JustinianTheGrand]

Due to disagreements about the approach to communism the soviet union and the peoples republic of china split apart diplomatically. But what if China's attempts to take leadership of the communist world escalated into full out war between china and the USSR? Who would win the war and also how would the united states and NATO react to the communist "civil war"?

 

[naraic]

There can't really be anything more than border conflicts without the risk of nukes coming out to play.

As soon as nukes come out everyone (USA included) will throw them around like candy as detection systems identify that a missile has been launched and wasn't set to identify the target but instead counter launch immediately.

That said certain elements of the West would love a heavy border conflict between China and ussr.